Recent Articles

POTEAU, Okla. (KFSM) — The suspect in Tuesday morning’s officer-involved shooting in Poteau has now been identified. According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), Jaquan Derrick Diijon Thompson, 27, was shot and killed at the E-Z Mart on N. Broadway early Tuesday (June 11). OSBI said Thompson was holding a knife to a 44-year-old female clerk’s throat. Police say he was refusing to drop the weapon and release the woman when asked by law enforcement. A Poteau Police […]

FORT SMITH, Ark. (KFSM) — A black bear has been spotted in Fort Smith, this time in a tree at a home on Colton Dr. off of Massard Rd. On Friday evening (June 7) Arkansas Game and Fish along with Fort Smith Police shot the bear with a tranquilizer gun. They were then able to safely catch the bear with a tarp as it dropped from the tree. Officials believe this is the same black bear that was seen at […]

FORT SMITH, Ark. (KFSM) — A new documentary film is bringing history to life in downtown Fort Smith at the National Historic Site. University of Arkansas Journalism Professor Larry Foley is working on a documentary film called “Indians, Outlaws, Marshals & the Hangin’ Judge.” The film is in the middle of field production and will continue through the summer. It’s told in first-person by a young newspaper reporter named Ada Patterson, who interviewed Judge Isaac Parker shortly before his death. […]

FORT SMITH, Ark. (KFSM) — If you step outside in the River Valley, especially the downtown Fort Smith area, you’re hit with a strong, stinky smell. 5NEWS has received numerous emails and calls about the issue, and we are getting to the bottom of it. Fort Smith Mayor George McGill asked owners of the land in Crawford County, Denali Water Solutions, where the smell is coming from. He asked them to stop all cleanup operations until the wind calms down, […]

FORT SMITH (KFSM) — UPDATE: 17-year-old suspect Jerry Garcia has been identified as the shooter in the Tuesday (Dec. 18) shooting. Fort Smith Police have made an arrest in connection with a shooting that occurred Tuesday (Dec. 18) night. After talking with witnesses, investigators went to a residence on North H Street where a 17-year-old suspect was believed to be inside. After setting a perimeter around the home and talking with family members, the suspect came out of the house […]

FORT SMITH (KFSM) — The Fort Smith Board of Directors approved Tuesday (Dec. 18) night to hold a special election for residents to vote on a nine-month one-cent sales tax increase to help complete the U.S. Marshals Museum. The board voted 6 -1 for the measure, with George Catsavis being the opposing vote. The Marshals Museum Foundation is proposing the increase to help meet its $50 million fundraising goal. The tax would be a nine-month one-cent sales tax, which would be levied beginning […]

ALMA (KFSM) — A portion of a street in Alma is now honoring a man that has given back to the community for years. Members of Zion Baptist Church submitted a request to the City of Alma to recognize the lifelong community contributions of Mr. Earl Owens. They’re doing this by making a portion of Spring Street ‘Earl Owens Drive.’ Three honorary signs will be placed concurrently with the existing Spring Street signs at the intersections of Main Street, Mulberry […]

SEBASTIAN COUNTY (KFSM) — The suspect in a double homicide who was found unresponsive in the Sebastian County Detention Center on Thursday has died, the sheriff’s office said Friday morning (Nov. 30). According to the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office, on Thursday (Nov. 29), Lewis Shores, 19, of Fort Smith was found unresponsive in his cell at the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center. Shores died about 9:30 p.m. at Baptist Health-Fort Smith, according to Capt. Philip Pevehouse, public information officer for the […]

POTEAU (KFSM) — A year ago Thursday (Nov. 8), the Boys & Girls Club of LeFlore County opened in Poteau. The Boys & Girls Club of LeFlore County started in 2008 as a nonprofit and as a partner with a few area schools. On November 8, 2017 the Club was able to open it’s own facility to all youth ages 6 to 18 in the county. Arielle Perry, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of LeFlore County, said the […]

FORT SMITH (KFSM) — A silent auction and luncheon to raise money that will help give books to children throughout the area was held in Fort Smith on Wednesday (Oct. 24). There were about 45 designer purses to bid on in a silent auction, as well as lunch catered by River City Bistro and guest motivational speaker Betsy Allan-Manning. This fundraiser draws in hundreds of people, and all of the money raised will go towards educating children throughout the River Valley through […]

FORT SMITH (KFSM) — UPDATE: According to one of the Hope Humane Society’s board member’s, the nonprofit has raised the necessary $20,000 to send about 50 to 60 dogs to Oregon. In Oregon, there is a network of waiting shelters ready to receive these dogs, or they could also go to prearranged foster homes. The flight is scheduled for Saturday, September 29th at Fort Smith Regional Airport. Original Story: The largest no-kill shelter in Arkansas is in desperate need of […]

FORT SMITH (KFSM) — Growth continues at Chaffee Crossing in Fort Smith as ground was broken Tuesday (Aug. 28) on Heritage Village. The new development will be located across from the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education on Chad Colley Boulevard. This huge project offers both commercial and residential space, giving students at the medical school, as well as those on the east side of Fort Smith and the Barling area, a new place to live, shop and eat. “Everything we’re […]